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With Scott Brown's win in the special Senate election in Massachusetts, it seems that the political pendulum is swinging back faster than expected. His election, of course, means that Congress won't be able to pass a strong, Obama-endorsed health care bill. Democrats are pointing angry fingers everywhere: at Martha Coakley, at President Obama, and even at the weather.
Doesn't it seem like Obama’s political capital is running out? He’s focused his first year in office on bailing out big businesses and pushing for universal health care. (The conspiracy theory favored around my office is that some form of a health care bill must be passed to bail out certain insurance companies. Money talks, and federal money speaks volumes.)
Obama was elected on the theme of "hope and change," but he’s failed to follow through on many of his campaign promises. Here are some details about three of them:
- Repealing DOMA.
February 28, 2008: “Unlike Senator Clinton, I support the complete repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act.”
June 11, 2009: “…the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act is appropriate, carefully balanced and justified by reason, and not by animus toward gay people.” (Not a direct quote: the Department of Justice released a legal brief reflecting the Obama administration’s official opinion.)
- Reducing troop levels in Iraq and Afghanistan.
June 17, 2008, speaking on Iraq: “I will bring this war to an end in 2009.”
February 27, 2009: “…by August 31, 2010, our combat mission in Iraq will end.”
If Iraq stays stable, we’ll probably have our troops out by December 2011 – which was George W. Bush’s original plan – not exactly what I’d call progress. Afghanistan troop levels are at their highest they’ve ever been (around 50,000), and more are on the way.
- Implementing sensible drug policies, especially those related to cannabis.
January 21, 2004: “I think that the ‘War on Drugs’ has been an utter failure… we need to rethink our marijuana laws.”
March 26, 2009: “Legalizing marijuana… I don't think that is a good strategy.”
Obama’s Department of Justice has pulled back on prosecuting medical marijuana users, but that’s a far cry from total decriminalization.
Every politician makes promises he or she can’t keep, and Obama is no different. But what does the future hold? What will Obama do with his remaining three years?
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